It’s no secret that practicing gratitude is important to me. *heart eyes* For more than four years now, I’ve written a daily gratitude list. Each day I write down three things I’m grateful for that day.

However, there are others ways to practice gratitude than to write a gratitude list. As I share in this post, gratitude practices can range from apps to beads to thank-you letters.

But maybe the word ‘gratitude’ doesn’t resonate with you. Gratitude just doesn’t gel. Perhaps you’re a list person and you want to write a daily list. You’re someone who’s into journaling, but gratitude journaling is just not your thing. That’s okay! As I show in Growing Gratitude, why don’t you reframe that gratitude list-making into something that DOES gel with you? Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. :)

I’ve come up with 6 other ways you can practice gratitude through journaling and writing a daily list, without it being that dreaded gratitude list. Game changer, right?! Let’s do this.

HINT HINT, WHY DON’T YOU SAVE THIS PIN? :)

List of blessings

This one resembles the gratitude list most closely. You just reframe the things you’re grateful for as blessings. Instead of using these questions as prompts (Today I am thankful for… Today I showed my gratitude by...), you ask yourself this: I felt blessed today because...

Favorites list

This alternative to the gratitude list is a great way to list all of the favorite things that happened that day. A favorite view out of the window, a favorite text you received, a favorite conversation you had. A prompt for you to use is: My favorite part of the day was when...

List of accomplishments

If you want to focus more on your accomplishments, the things you got done, and how productive you were, you should try out writing a daily list of accomplishments. This alternative focuses more on your agency instead of things that just randomly happened. If you want to give writing a daily list of accomplishments a try, ask yourself this: Today I accomplished…

Happy list

The happy list is the most popular of all the alternatives to a gratitude list. Bringing your attention and energy to things that make you happy instantly lifts your mood. Think not only about things that made you happy, but also about people and events that contributed to your overall happiness that day. Use this prompt: I felt happy today when…

Appreciation list

It’s very easy to be appreciative of your material possessions. Your house, your car, your shower, those are things you come into contact with each day. Don’t take those material possession for granted, but I want to encourage you to write an appreciation list about things that are immaterial, like someone smiling at you or seeing the most beautiful, multi-colored sunset. Don’t forget to appreciate yourself, a talent you have or something about your personality. These prompts can help you out: I got to appreciate beauty today through… or I appreciated … about myself.

My life doesn’t suck list

If all else fails, if none of the above works for you, or if you’ve had a lousy day, you can always fall back on the ‘My life doesn’t suck’ list. When you try to answer this prompt My life didn't suck today because… something will always come to mind. Perspective does wonders.

Are you convinced? Practicing gratitude doesn’t have to be difficult. Simply take a few moments to focus on all that you have instead of complaining about all the things you don’t have. Do that and gratitude will change your life. (BTW, you can find all of my most successful strategies, experiences, and practices when it comes to gratitude into a step-by-step guide called Growing Gratitude. Do you want to take your daily stress level down a notch? Then Growing Gratitudewas made for you! Learn more about it here.)

In the meantime, if you need a little help getting started with your gratitude practice, no matter what type of list you write, sign up for The Gratitude Toolbox. It’s a FREE set of resources to help you add more gratitude to your work and life:

a cheatsheet with ideas for being more grateful in your work or business

30 gratitude prompts for jumpstarting your first 30 days of practicing gratitude

a progress tracker for an extra boost of motivation and to help keep you on track

a checklist with tips to help set you up for success

AND several gratitude journals

Just click on the button below and you can get started with The Gratitude Toolbox right away.

Hi there! I’m Wendy, perfectionism coach and host of the #perfectionistproblems community for recovering perfectionists. I’m insanely passionate about helping you overcome your perfectionism, so that you can stop caring so much about what other people think and finally take on those dream projects that you've been putting off for so long.